Hi,

My name is Karen. I have been with my fantastic husband Wayne for the last 22 years and we live in Coventry with our 2 lunatic dogs Buster and Poppy.

As a special treat for my 40th Birthday last year I was diagnosed with RA. It came as a shock but also as a relief as I had thought I was going crazy with the different swellings, aches and pains I had been getting!

I am still trying to get my meds right, so at the moment I am on sulphazine, methotrexate and prednisolone. In addition to this I have also been taking fluoxetine for depression for over a year now as well as metoprolol for migraine prevention (for the last 10 years) and feel like I rattle when I walk with the amount of pills I seem to be taking

I joined nras last year when I was diagnosed and have often read the forums but have never been brave enough to post on it..... until today!

So what has changed today to make me feel the need to post on here? An appointment with my Rheumy Nurse.

I went to see her today and came away and cried. Not because she was unsympathetic, didn't listen or any of the other things I feel when I see my GP but I cried with relief that she was exactly the opposite. For the first time in a long time I felt listened to, cared about and was given answers as to why I feel like I do as well as making future plans to help me feel better both physically and mentally. It was only 20 minutes of her time but it was the best 20 minutes of this year for me!

I didn't realise how isolated I felt and how much I had shut myself off from everyone around me. It takes all my effort and energy to get out of bed in the morning let alone
speak to friends on the phone or even worse face to face. I want this to change and know that I am the only one that can make it happen and today seems like the day where I can finally start to move forward.

I feel so much better for just writing this, so if you have read this thank you for reading my little rant!

Take Care xxxx

Hi Karen

Lovely to read your post and a warm welcome to the forum. Great to hear that you have had such a positive appointment today, doesn't it make you feel a whole lot better when someone takes the time to really listen?! I know exactly where you are coming from when you speak of isolation and shutting yourself off; I do it myself sometimes it is so much easier than trying to explain to people who don't understand nor do they want to! You are in the right place here where everyone is so friendly and, of course, we are all in the same position, some a lot worse than others. It's good to know that such support is always available and there's always someone who has had similar experiences and can offer their thoughts and perspective on things. I'm sure you will really enjoy being part of the group.

By the way, I'm Lyn, married to Mike, we have four children including twins (Abby 22, Ian 16, Jake 16 and Louis 15) all in various stages of education. We live in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire, near Blackpool but not too close ... really!! I have had RA for 21+ years been through the gamut of medication and various surgical procedures and am now on Enbrel, Methotrexate, Prednisolone, Naproxen and a few other bits and pieces!

Karen you are not ranting ... just expressing your feelings!! And this is exactly the place to do just that. Look forward to chatting with you again very soon but in the meantime keep smiling you have made a huge leap today. Do you know what? Having read your post again I too now feel a whole lot better about the day so thank you for that .

Lyn x

Hi Karen,

A big warm welcome to the forum, and pleased that you plucked up the courage to post. I'm 50, married and have 23 yr-old daughter and 2 cats. I was diagnosed last year with RA, and understand how isolating it can feel with this illness. Unfortunately for many of us, RA and depression seem to go hand-in-hand, especially during the first year of diagnosis. I am glad that you have found such an understanding nurse they can make such a difference to our care and are worth their weight in gold.

Take care and keep posting,

love,

Barbara
XXXXXX

Hi Karen,

Welcome to the forum, where you will never be alone again. We all know what you are going through.
I am 60 and have had RA for 9 years, now on mtx and humira.
Hope you can get the right meds for you soon.
Don't worry about the tears, I am like that when anyone is kind to me!
Looking forward to getting to know you.

Doreen xx

Hi Karen,

Welcome to the forum I`m glad you decided to post, there are many benefits to be gained from this forum. It certainly helped me when I joined, as I didn`t know another soul with RA.

Tears are normal - we all shed them from time to time, so don`t worry about that.

I`m Kathleen, married to Nick for 38 years, two sons & two grandsons. We live in Durham, and have a lovely Golden Retriever called Flynn.

Keep posting,

Kathleen x

He he Ha ha Spoted the Leiscestershire so please come to the lunch ( please let monty know as we have to book you in ) its £15 and i you can use the pool for a fiver ( think what i paid last year )
our 3rd get togetor .

see you then

Christine chockers chrissy christina

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.

Today has been another fairly good day (if I discount falling flat on my face when I went to the bank at luchtime). Not too much damage other than to my pride and the poor pavement (a new pothole I made for the council to fill in ) although, I dare say the stiffness will hit me more in the morning!

It is good to know that I am not alone and I promise to continue to both read and post on the forum.

Take care

Karen xxxx

Hello Karen and welcome,I tend to cry when someone understands me and is nice to me I think that we put up this hard shell and joke about things to help us cope and the understanding breaks through. I have a Rhenmy nurse who is lovely and I can talk to her much easier than the consultant and often feel better having talked with her and got some things of my chest. I'm Glenys from Notts, 56, married with 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren, I've had RA for 10 years now. x

Hello Karen, sorry to read about your RA but really glad u posted,
Im Liz 39 (40 this year...) Im married to Paul, we have two daughters Sophie 16 and Jess 13
RA turned up suddenly for me at 27, same time as when my mum died,
i think its so true someone said about the hard shell we make for ourselves but on here we can be really true to ourselves with people who really care and understand - i think we can all empathise with your experiences in one way or another, this forum is SUCH a great help xx
i have had a bit of a "duvet" day today, feeling bit down in the dumps today and came on here to cheer myself up a bit,
its nice to "meet" you, please keep posting and take care,
love Liz xxxxx